Best Available in Round 2 for Colts

There are several excellent options still available in positions of need for the Indianapolis Colts heading into round two of the NFL Draft.

The consensus heading into the NFL Draft was that the two-biggest needs for the Indianapolis Colts were offensive tackle and wide receiver.

Despite an unprecedented run of six wide receivers being taken in the top-20 picks, there are still several good options available heading into the second round as well as good offensive tackles.

The Colts currently have the No. 42 overall pick heading into Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday night. With nine picks ahead of them, the Colts should still be able to fill one of their needs with an impact player.

Offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann of Central Michigan and wide receiver Christian Watson of North Dakota State are two players the Colts hope can slide to 42.

Raimann currently sits as the top offensive tackle left on ESPN's big board. He is an excellent athlete who made the move from tight end to offensive tackle while in college. He lacks ideal length with 32 7/8" arms (33" considered a minimum benchmark for tackle), but that's arguably the main reason he didn't go in the first round. 

Watson had an outstanding Senior Bowl, and then followed up his performance in Mobile with a dominant showing at the NFL Combine. At 6'4 and 208 pounds, Watson ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and had the event's longest standing broad jump of a whopping 11'4".  

Receivers Sky Moore of Western Michigan and George Pickens of Georgia are also on the board. Moore had an uber-productive 2021 campaign with 95 catches for 1,292 yards, and Pickens was considered a top-10 possibility before tearing his ACL last spring.

Offensive tackle Abraham Lucas of Washington State could be an option at 42 for the Colts as well. At 6'6 and 315 pounds, Lucas has excellent lateral mobility and core strength. His 40-yard dash of 4.92, shuttle of 4.40 and 3-cone of 7.25 puts him in the top 3% of offensive tackles tested in the last 10 years.

If the Colts don't like their options as offensive tackle and wide receiver at 42, it could mean a player like Connecticut's monster defensive tackle Travis Jones has fallen. While not necessarily a need for the Colts, Jones is 6'4 and 325 pounds with a 4.92 40-yard dash and lateral movement of an inside linebacker.

The wild card player right  now is quarterback Malik Willis of Liberty. Willis was mocked as high as top three the past month, but he's still on the board in the second round.

Willis has a rocket of an arm and is one of the best runners regardless of position. The Colts could take a flyer on him if he's around at 42 (or they want to move up a few spots), groom him for the future, while still using him in packages to take advantage of his mobility.

Going into the draft, we've repeatedly said the depth of this draft is in the middle rounds. The Colts watched the first round, but have to be happy with the list of players that have fallen to the second.